Firefighters and other officials near the intersection of Legends Trail and Bob Billings Parkway, where an operations base was set up. (Photo by J. Schafer)
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that firefighters have been evacuating homes on Palisades Drive in west Lawrence that are threatened by a very large grass fire in the area. The LJW quotes officials as saying that the fire began east of Kansas Highway 10 near the area where Bob Billings Parkway dead-ends. The fire -- which authorities said was rapidly moving north -- was also threatening nearby Langston Hughes Elementary. It's reported that houses in the two-block area of Palisades Drive were being evacuated. The fire was first reported about 10:25 this (THUR) morning.